Quixotic Coyote

Lakewood, United States

Wall Art

Photographic Print

Art Print

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Greeting Card

Artist's Description

A quick refresher: I was seeking a new wildlife challenge, and the coyotes at the park a couple of miles from my house seemed like good candidates. Unfortunately, they turned out to be a little too good. They’re smart (wily, if you’d prefer), well camouflaged, and highly adaptable. I haven’t noticed any large crates from ACME, but so far, they haven’t needed any.

I haven’t posted many pictures from this challenge lately because there haven’t been any pictures. The coyotes have adapted too well to my efforts. I figure out their routes & routines around the marsh, and they leave the marsh for the open fields. I track them to the open fields, and they’re on the ice on the lake. I hide in the reeds at the shore of the lake waiting for them on the ice, and they’re goodness knows where. I don’t. I’m ethically opposed to feeding wildlife (and agree that a fed wild animal is a dead wild animal), and it’s illegal. I’m almost to the point of considering a predator call.

Yesterday I caught a coyote on the frozen lake, but it was too dark to get a decent shot, and I never saw the coyote again that morning. I did run into a coyote again yesterday afternoon while walking the dog along a game trail in the remote back part of the park – the dog and I were heading north and the coyote was heading south on parallel trails only about 7-8 meters apart. We all stopped for a brief moment and looked at the other, then the coyote trotted on his way. The dog and I waited a few minutes and then tracked the coyote at a discreet distance for about 20 minutes. Of course, having a camera with me would have made things far too easy . . .

This morning I was out well before sunrise, again hiding in the reeds waiting for the coyote to go out on the frozen lake. He was a no-show. the sun was just up, so i decided to try the open field. I spotted him briefly and tracked him to the wildlife area. I kept spotting him and positioned myself where I anticipated he’d emerge from the brush without success. I was about to call it a morning but decided instead of heading back to the closest exit I’d take one last loop around the lake. Just as I was in an open spot the coyote made a dash across the frozen pond. Fortunately I still had the camera/tripod set up and was able to quickly fire off several frames before he disappeared into the reeds.

Nicely composed action shot of this Coyote! It’s cool to note how the dry winter grasses, twigs, the bare ground and even the snow so nicely compliment the coat shades of the Coyote! The Coyote blends in so nicely to the environment in which it inhabits! No wonder you have a hard time finding them! You certainly found quite the challenge when you chose to capture the beautiful Wily Coyotes! lol I very much enjoyed reading your experiences! :)

Thanks Sandy – they’re tough to spot when still – even the dog has trouble seeing them). I’ve noticed several spots on the ice where a coyote has apparently hidden in the reeds and rushed out on the ice to grab a Canada goose for dinner.